Annular gasket disposed at one axial extremity of a rotor and covering blade feet

1. Field of the Invention

The invention concerns an annular gasket disposed at one axial extremity of a rotor and covering broachings for receiving blade feet situated on this rotor. In particular, the invention can be used on certain turbomachines of aircraft engines.

2. Discussion of the Background

The aim of these gaskets is to limit air leaks inside the machine through the clearances in the broachings and prevent the blades from sliding into the broachings.

The particular disposition of the invention mainly makes it possible to guarantee complete imperviousness during operation and comprises three concentric bearings for keeping the gasket on the rotor, the radially internal bearing having an axial orientation opposite the broachings, the radially external bearing having an axial orientation directed externally; the bearings rest on the support surfaces of the rotor and the gasket, at least on one radially internal portion, has partially the shape of a cone opening towards the broachings.

In fact, during operation, the significant contrifugal forces combined with the conicity of the gasket exert a large moment of rotation of the sections of the gasket around the median bearing which clads the internal bearing against its support surface.

There now follows a more detailed non-restrictive description given by way of illustration of one embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings on which:

FIG. 1 shows a half-section of the gasket,

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the gasket, and

FIG. 3 shows an axial view of the rotor, these three figures being subsequently commented on indiscriminately.

The gasket bears the reference number 1. Its general shape is circular around the axis X of the rotor and annular, and it may be all of one pieceor, on the other hand, be divided into a certain number of separate segments each extending over a circumference fraction. In this document, the lines are measured from the axis of the rotor. The gasket is flat as regards one radially external portion 2 and conical as regards one radially internal portion 3 considerably larger than the external portion.These two portions are annular. The external portion 2 comprises one radially external bearing 4 on one face lying in a transverse radial planeof the machine and orientated axially towards the broachings 5 which indentthe circumference of the rotor 6 and are used to receive the blade feet 7 coupled to the rotor. The feet 7 are placed by making them slide axially and could escape during functioning via a similar movement. This is the reason they have been provided with a spoiler 8 on their downstream extremity face. The spoilers are orientated radially inwardly and isolate an external throat 9 occupied by the gasket 1 and a retaining ring 10. Anyaxial movement of the blades is then prohibited.

In accordance with a design already adopted by the applicant, the retainingring 10 is made of an elastic material, is used to provide improved imperviousness and allows for more coherent mounting: it is jammed in an axial direction between the external portion 2 and the spoilers 8 and compressed in a radial direction by resting on a collar 11 forming the outer edge of the external portion 2 which surrounds it. The collar 11 of the gasket is located, as shown in FIG. 1, radially outwardly of the radially external bearing surface 4. Rotation of the gasket 1 and of the retaining ring is halted via the interlacings of these pieces between themand on the spoilers 8. More specifically, the gasket 1 is provided with a notch 30 through the collar 11 which occupies a notch 31 of the retaining ring 10 and the retaining ring 10 has at least one catch 32 which becomes wedged between two consecutive spoilers 8. The gasket 1 also has a notch intended for the passage of the spoilers 8. The gasket 1 is rotated so that the notch 33 is able to successively be placed in front of each spoiler 8 and move the latter forward above the gasket 1. After mounting, the notch 33 is placed between two spoilers 8. The retaining ring 10 is then compressed and slides under the spoilers 8. It then dilates so as to occupy its mounting position.

The internal portion 3 of the gasket 1 is provided on its face orientated towards the broachings 5 with blocks 18 intended to press via their external faces, which constitute a radially median bearing 19, against a circular collar 20 established on the rotor 6 and which may be continuous or, as in this case, formed of portions disposed on the teeth 21 which separate the broachings 5. Dog points 34 used to grip the gasket 1 cover the face opposite the broachings 5 of the internal portion 3. Finally, theradially internal extremity of the gasket 1 includes a third support bearing, which is an axial orientation surface parallel to the surface 4 but opposite the broachings 5. This radially internal bearing 22 rests against an opposing orientation surface 23 belonging to the rotor 6 and which delimits an internal throat 24 with other surfaces of the rotor 6.

The internal portion 3 of the gasket forms a cone opening towards the broachings 5 and whose opening half-angle with respect to the axis X of the rotor is about 70 degrees. The advantage of having an at least partially conical gasket 1 consists in that the center of gravity C of oneof its sections is considerably distanced from the broachings 5. As a result, when the rotor 6 is started, the centrifugal forces, which appear and are firstly expressed by a pressure of the gasket 1 by the median bearing 19, provoke a significant moment of rotation of the sections of the gasket 1 around the median bearing 19. This moment is balanced by reaction forces exerted on the internal and external bearings 4 and 22 by the surfaces opposite the rotor. These forces are also relatively considerable with the result that the internal bearing 22 ensures good imperviousness by pressing strongly against the surface 23. Imperviousnessvia the outside of the gasket 1 is not provided by the external bearing 4 which only rests on separate blocks 35 situated on the teeth 21, but by the padding of the collar 11 and the retaining ring 10 in the external throats 9 and against the adjacent extremity faces of the rotor 6 and blade feet 7. The external bearing 4 does, however, offer good support forthe gasket 1.

Apart from the good imperviousness and stability of the gasket which are obtained, one fundamental advantage is that no centrifugal force bears on the blades or their feet 7, which makes it possible to embody these parts as being light and made of titanium, a material which does not support frictions which would have been produced by the centrifugal forces.